childbirth
“Body image is a stronger prediction of breastfeeding duration than weight.”
In 2014 the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Government Equalities Office published a report into the effects of body image during pregnancy and post-birth. The report concluded that midwives and health visitors should support women not to fixate on body image and to eat healthily during......
The 5 year vision for maternity services
Karen Jewell is the Nursing Officer for Maternity & Early Years at the Office of the CNO in Wales. As an advisor to the Welsh government, she has been an important driver of change and an integral part of sculpting the 5 Year Vision for maternity services in Wales. In......
Optimizing the use of Caesarean Section
In October 2018, The Lancet published an epidemiological report on global use of caesarean sections – it put the UK figure at just over 26% of all births. This comes, perhaps not coincidentally, at a time when tokophobia (the extreme fear of birth) seems to be on the rise.......
Normal Birth…What’s going on?
In most contexts, ‘normal’ is a boring word – but within the world of maternity and midwifery it is a contentious one. Between them, Sheena Byrom OBE and Professor Soo Downe OBE have some 75 years of experience in midwifery practise. Many of those years have been spent actively researching......
Mental Health and Stress in Maternity
The UK Health and Social Care Secretary announced new plans for better mental health and wellbeing care for NHS midwives, based on the HEE report on the mental health and wellbeing of NHS staff and learners. In her extremely popular presentation to the Midlands Maternity & Midwifery Festival, Dr Sally......
How can all women be given the choice and the options?
In a week of fevered speculation about how Archie, the son of the Duchess of Sussex’s was to be born it was clear that, whatever finally happened, whether it was a home birth or at the private Portland Hospital, the Duchess had informed choice and the infrastructure to make it......
The Case for Parental Voices in Perinatal Mortality Review
Watching the start of the “infected Blood Enquiry” into the 1970s contaminated blood products scandal which had such devastating effect on the haemophiliac community and others is hard. 3000 died. The Enquiry started with heart rending testimonials from those affected, and the relatives of the dead. The Grenfell Enquiry started......
The changing practice of midwifery
To the public the practice of midwifery seems timeless with a steady story of progress, increased knowledge and professional practice with added support from modern medicine, science and surgery. A steady straight line of improvement in mortality, clinical practice and understanding. But that is not the case. Modern maternity practices,......
Improving birth outcomes through education and training in Sierra Leone – Helena White
Improving birth outcomes through education and training in Sierra Leone – Helena White, Midwife, The African Maternity Link from Narrowcast Media Group on Vimeo. Helena White, Midwife, The African Maternity Link gives a presentation discussing “Improving birth outcomes through education and training in Sierra Leone” at the London Maternity &......